Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage
Encyclopedia
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage is a scrolling fighting game for the Super NES
and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, developed by Software Creations
and published by LJN
(a subsidiary of Acclaim
) in 1994. The game, based on a sprawling comic book story arc of the same name
, featured numerous heroes, including Spider-Man
, Venom
, and their allies from the Marvel Comics
fictional universe like Captain America
, Black Cat
, Iron Fist, Cloak and Dagger
, Deathlok
, Morbius, the Living Vampire
, and Firestar
, all teaming up to battle an onslaught of villains led by Carnage
, including Shriek
, Doppelganger
, Demogoblin
, and Carrion
.
The game featured a colored cartridge. Both the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Super Nintendo
versions were red. They were later released in the normal cartridge colors (black for Genesis, gray for SNES).
The game was followed up by a sequel
called Spider-Man & Venom: Separation Anxiety.
beat 'em up (with a format similar to Final Fight
, and Streets of Rage
) the player controls Spider-Man
and Venom
through various levels to stop the supervillain Carnage
and his gang, as well as hundreds of criminals they inspire in their wake, from taking over the city. The two 16-bit versions are virtually identical, aside from the quality of the sound and music.
Other Marvel heroes can be summoned by collecting appropriate items hidden within certain levels. Their effects vary greatly, and some of them have different effects depending on who the player is. Of note is the rarity and set locations of the power-ups necessary to summon aid, and that each character has a unique set of music to accompany their appearance. In order of appearance: Cloak, Black Cat, Dagger, Firestar, Spider-Man/Venom (depending on the player character), Morbius, Deathlok, Iron Fist, and Captain America.
s feature semi-animated versions of art taken directly from the comics. It was also notable as being the first Spider-Man video game to receive a teen rating (that being the Genesis version in particular (rated MA-13); the SNES re-release version had a rating of K-A).
and a 3.45 from Nintendo Power
. User reviews have been more positive, however, and it holds an 8.2/10 user rating on Gamespot
.
. The title screen theme song appears as the first track on the band's 1994 album 333
as "Carnage Rules." However, due to the state of video game music technology at that time the soundtrack was not recorded music, but a computerized rendition of the songs.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, developed by Software Creations
Software Creations (UK)
Software Creations was a video game developer based in Manchester, England, first established in 1987. They are primarily known for their video games based on movie and comic licenses like Marvel Comics, Cutthroat Island, Disney's Beauty and the Beast and original titles Solstice and the sequel...
and published by LJN
LJN
LJN was an American toy company and video game publisher. It created toy lines and video games based on movies, television shows, and celebrities. It was headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and later in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.-Founding:...
(a subsidiary of Acclaim
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game developer and publisher. It developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Game Gear, Nintendo's NES, SNES, Nintendo...
) in 1994. The game, based on a sprawling comic book story arc of the same name
Maximum Carnage
"Maximum Carnage" is a fourteen-part comic book crossover published in Marvel Comics's Spider-Man family of titles in 1993. It featured Spider-Man and Venom teaming up to face Venom's murderous offspring Carnage.-Plot:...
, featured numerous heroes, including Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
, and their allies from the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
fictional universe like Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, Black Cat
Black Cat (comics)
The Black Cat is a fictional character, a superheroine in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Keith Pollard, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #194 ....
, Iron Fist, Cloak and Dagger
Cloak and Dagger (comics)
Cloak and Dagger are a fictional comic book superhero duo in the . They were created by writer William "Bill" Mantlo and designed by artist Edward Hannigan.-Publication history:...
, Deathlok
Deathlok
Deathlok is a fictional cyborg published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Astonishing Tales #25 , and was created by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench...
, Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire, is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, the character, a living human suffering from vampiric abilities resulting from scientific rather than supernatural means, first appeared as...
, and Firestar
Firestar
Firestar is a fictional mutant superhero in the . Debuting in 1981 on the NBC animated television series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, she has the ability to generate and manipulate microwave radiation, which allows her to generate intense heat and flames, and to fly...
, all teaming up to battle an onslaught of villains led by Carnage
Carnage (comics)
Carnage is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 , and was created by writer David Michelinie and artist Mark Bagley. The character is frequently depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man...
, including Shriek
Shriek (comics)
Shriek is a fictional character, a supervillainess in the Marvel Comics universe. She is an enemy of Spider-Man. She was created by Tom DeFalco, Mike W...
, Doppelganger
Doppelganger (comics)
The Doppelganger, also called the Spider-Doppelganger, is a fictional character and supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. It first appeared in The Infinity War #1.-Fictional character biography:...
, Demogoblin
Demogoblin
Demogoblin is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared as Demogoblin in Web of Spider-Man #86 , and had previously appeared as an unnamed demon in Spectacular Spider-Man #147....
, and Carrion
Carrion (comics)
Carrion is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, in which he is an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man #25....
.
The game featured a colored cartridge. Both the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Super Nintendo
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
versions were red. They were later released in the normal cartridge colors (black for Genesis, gray for SNES).
The game was followed up by a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
called Spider-Man & Venom: Separation Anxiety.
Gameplay
In this single-player side-scrollingSide-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
beat 'em up (with a format similar to Final Fight
Final Fight
is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game originally released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in . It was the seventh game released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware...
, and Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage, known in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Sega in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It is the first installment of the Streets of Rage series which was followed by Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3. The game was also converted over to Sega's Game...
) the player controls Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and Venom
Venom (comics)
Eddie Brock is a fictional character created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. A comic book supervillain, Brock's earliest appearance is a cameo in Web of Spider-Man #18 before making his first full appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #299 as Venom...
through various levels to stop the supervillain Carnage
Carnage (comics)
Carnage is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #344 , and was created by writer David Michelinie and artist Mark Bagley. The character is frequently depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man...
and his gang, as well as hundreds of criminals they inspire in their wake, from taking over the city. The two 16-bit versions are virtually identical, aside from the quality of the sound and music.
Development
Maximum Carnage is notable as one of the first video games to be directly based on a comic book story, rather than simply using comics characters in a standard video game "action/adventure" plot. Many of the game's cutsceneCutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
s feature semi-animated versions of art taken directly from the comics. It was also notable as being the first Spider-Man video game to receive a teen rating (that being the Genesis version in particular (rated MA-13); the SNES re-release version had a rating of K-A).
Reception
The game received mixed reviews from critics and gamers, with many reviewers commenting on its repetitive, generic gameplay. It was given a 5/10 from Electronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
and a 3.45 from Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
. User reviews have been more positive, however, and it holds an 8.2/10 user rating on Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
.
Soundtrack
The game's soundtrack was provided by American rock group Green JellÿGreen Jellÿ
Green Jellÿ is a Grammy-nominated American comedy rock band formed in 1981. Originally named Green Jellö, the band changed its name due to legal pressure from the owners of the Jell-O trademark, Kraft Foods, who claimed that it was an infringement of their trademark...
. The title screen theme song appears as the first track on the band's 1994 album 333
333 (album)
- In popular culture :* "The Bear Song" was featured in the movie Dumb and Dumber.* "Carnage Rules" was used as the theme song of the 1994 Spider-Man videogame Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage; the song itself is based on the Marvel Comics character Carnage.* Renowned parody musician, "Weird...
as "Carnage Rules." However, due to the state of video game music technology at that time the soundtrack was not recorded music, but a computerized rendition of the songs.
External links
- Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage at GameRankings
- Spider-Man games on Marvel.com